Paul and I want to get a new camera for our Italy workshop trip. Our current camera is a Kodak Easyshare and it's OK but a bit bulky. I want one of those really skinny and tiny ones. Any suggestions? I am hoping if I have a small enough camera I will remember to take photos. I am a bad photo taker. I always forget! Then we spend the last day of the trip running around taking photos so we end up in all our pictures wearing the same outfits!

I am in a positive whirlwind here trying to wrap up everything before we go. I leave in 8 days!! I can't believe it is here! I am having a mental freak out. Here's a list of everything I need to do or want to do before I leave: write a new book proposal, finish up 3 custom artwork orders, pack everything for Italy, pack supplies to teach in VA, write an article for Cloth, Paper Scissors, ship artwork for Cloth, Paper Scissors article, order more books + dvds to sell in VA, finish up a small project I will be teaching at the Italy workshop, clean the house, get things ready for the pet sitter, take Toby to the vet, get last minute supplies for VA workshops, staple booklets and hand outs for VA classes, do my 1st quarter taxes, and I am sure there are things I am forgetting! yipes!When I get home from Italy I only have 4 days before I turn around to leave to teach at Art and Soul in Virginia. So I am getting ready for the VA trip as well as Italy. I have to pack up things to ship off there while I am gone. I'll leave a box with my mom and dad and then have DHL guy pick it up at their house. Whew! Deep breaths... deep breaths... it will all get done!

I just bought a camera last fall. It's the Panasonic Lumix Compact Digital Camera. It is not tiny but is is smaller than the kodak one that you now own. It takes really crisp pictures and is comfortable to hold with one hand. It was they type that always forgot to take pics too but I love playing with this camera so much that I take more pictures than ever.

Claudine, another camera suggestion: anything made by Canon - we do a ton of digital photography and we have two top of the line Canon's - an 8 megapixel and a 10 megapixel -- but you can get smaller ones that are more affordable. Canon cameras have a glass lens. I honestly don't know if they make a thin, pocket sized one- but you might want to put them on your list of comparisons. I also have friends who use the thin Sony's and swear by them.We will all have different suggestions...one of the main things is -- how does the camera feel in your hands -- if you don't feel comfortable with it, you won't use it!Since it isn't everyday you go to Tuscany you might want to visit your local camera shop rather than a large retail store -- you are likely to get a more professional opinion - and prices don't really differ all that much.It's been too many years since I have been to Tuscany (I lived in Europe once) - and my family is from Sicily and France.Looking forward to seeing lots of photos of you -- in different outfits...LOL!Be safe and have a wonderful time!

My mom and sister both loved my husband's Canon Powershot SD630 so much they each got their own - tiny enough to put in your pocket but still good quality (6 megapixels), affordable (around $300) and amazing battery life.Good luck with your list. The first step is to get it written out, then you can start crossing things off! You can do it! :)

I use an older Canon S50 for my pocket camera and a new Fuji Finepix for a 35mm. Got home last night from a trip myself where I got to use the new Fuji, got some great shots I just posted on my book blog. You must like to travel Claudine, you are always on the go. Man, I'm tired, I have to agree with Dorothy, "There's no place like home!"

Canon Elph. Hands down. Get the newest... or any that you can find. Small, light, PERFECT. Great colours and pictures. I've had every model - I just keep upgrading because I love them so much. Oh! And I love your new site. SO much more you.

I bought one of the early Sony Cybershot "credit card" cameras, and although I love it, there is no tripod screw on the bottom. I can't use it for taking photos of my art because I can't hold it steady enough!So make sure you have a tripod screw. I didn't even think about this issue.Love your new web site design!

i upgraded from a canon elph powershot s230 - we still use if we don't want to pack the new xti. the s230 is probably obsolete by now and other models have taken it's place. i really like how the elph fits in your pocket! happy shopping!

Good Luck getting ready for your trip - we were just in Castellina en Chianti and fell in love with the area.

I can HIGHLY recommend the Canon Elph series as well. We are on our second one and the ease of use and picture quality are amazing. My husband uses it a lot and even though he doesn't have as much photography knowledge as I do, he has turned out some truly lovely shots.

Ours is a Powershot SD700 IS and it is small and reliable. I have a Canon Digital SLR and love it, so have stuck with the Canon brand. The man at the camera shop said the ELph series is their best seller in the super small range.

Hi Claudine,I would definitely recommend the Canon Powershot line. Image quality is excellent and it's small enough to carry everywhere but not bulky in any way. I have both the SD500 which is an older model now, so reasonably priced, but also just bought the SD800 IS model. This model is a bit unique in that is has a wider angle to start with (28mm) where most pocket cameras start wider (35mm). What this means is it is better for landscape images by being able to include more in the image. That applies to when you ar closer to things as well so you don't find yourself backing up constantly to fit everything or everyone in. I would recommend this camera for your trip for those hard to 'back up' areas that are regularly present in small village settings plus it will do wonders for landscapes of the country or city. :) you can pick it up at Best Buy or Circuit City. Let me know if you have any questions! I'd be happy to help.

I was recommended the FujiFilm E900 digital camera from Diane Miller, a designer and great photographer at Scrap Girls. I got it about 6 months ago, and have been very happy with its performance. I bought mine from BuyDig. It came with rechargeable batteries and a recharger. It also takes regular double A's, so I went out and bought more rechargeable batteries and a recharger that does four at a time. Then I just aways keep an extra pair of charged batteries in my case. This camera does really well in low lite settings. It also has the option of switching to manual if you want to get a little more advanced with your shots. This does take a special memory card, called an X-D card. I bought a 1 G card and it's been sufficient.

As for resolution, it is a 9 mp camera (which is unbelievable for the price) so it translates to about 11.5" x 8.6" pics at 300 resolution.

Even though I recently got an SLR, I still pull this one out for quick pictures or when I need a lighter, smaller camera to throw in my purse. I haven't been disappointed.

I am looking for a new camera too. I will buy the canon sd700. It has an image stabilizer, which is important to me because I can't seem to hold the camera perfectly still when I take photos of my artwork.

The canon sd800 is the newer version of the sd700 and has a wider angle lense I believe.